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February 10, 2012
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Cold Hands and Feet (cont.)

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Cold Hands & Feet Symptoms

  • Frostbite and frostnip

    • Frostbitten body parts are white and hard or waxy. They may be white-purple or white-yellow.

    • Frostnipped parts are white but not hard and are generally very small areas.

    • Frozen parts have no feeling.

    • During the freezing process, they may tingle or feel like a block of wood.

    • Once frostbitten areas thaw, they may be painless or tingle.

    • When they are rapidly rewarmed in warm water by the recommended method, they may be painful.

    • Over the next few days the part is often painful and swollen.

    • Blisters may appear, and severely affected areas turn black.

  • Immersion injury

    • Areas affected by immersion injury are first red, and then turn pale and swollen.

    • Numbness or painful tingling may occur.

    • After the first few days, the part becomes very red, tingling, swollen, and may have blisters, skin breakdown, or even liquefy.

  • Pernio

    • Pernio is a rash on the lower legs, feet, toes, hands, or ears that may be red or blue and may form scaly areas or lumps.

    • Rarely, affected parts may bleed, blister, or have skin breakdown.

    • Often pernio causes itching and burning.

  • Raynaud's syndrome refers to constriction of the blood vessels of the hands or feet, which causes white skin and is often painful.

  • Cryoglobulins cause a wide array of symptoms, including Raynaud's phenomenon. Raynaud's phenomenon is the name given the symptoms of Raynaud's syndrome when a known disease causes these symptoms.

  • Cold urticaria refers to raised red bumps or hives produced in response to cold exposure.

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Cold Hands and Feet - Causes

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Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Cold Injuries »

Exposure to cold can produce various injuries that occur as a result of the human inability to adapt to cold.

Read More on Medscape Reference »

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